Little Sam's Angel Read Online Free
Author: Larion Wills
reasons. He didn't have the money to take it easy, and he didn't have the strength to work to make more. To top it off, even though Hedges had said it wasn't any of his business how Gabe came to get shot, and even though he hadn't asked any questions, he was too damned curious, and he was too damned smart. He'd already seen more than Gabe cared to have anyone know about him, and he was trying hard to leave all that behind. The throbbing in his head increased again just worrying that someone would recognize him and bring it all up.
"No, well, reckon you got something important to get to, even if you ain't in no hurry to get there," he said, then turned away before Gabe could make any comment. Hedges added as he left the room, "Got you some breakfast on. It'll be done in the time it takes you to shave and finish dressing."
Gabe fought down the building rage, wondering if the old man had seen that anger coming up in him before he'd turned away. Though there was no sense to it, it was there just the same, quick as a flash, making his face feel hot and all the veins in his head throb with the blood that pounded in it.
The old man got under his skin. That's all it was. He'd sign that deed over then get away from him, even if he had to spend the rest of the time in the stuffy stage station to do it. Trouble was Hedges insisted he couldn't do it that way.
"Hell, boy, you'd have to sign it over to me, then I'd have to sign it over to Little Sam. Damned sight easier just doing it once. 'Sides, I ain't got that much cash. You'll have to get it straight from Little Sam."
"You ain't got that much?" Gabe asked in puzzlement. "You had more than enough in that pot last night."
"That was last night." Hedges put a plate heaped full of steak and eggs in front of Gabe. "Had me some bills to pay this morning, and with what I lost last night, I used the cash and left the deed for your share." He added quickly, "Just till you get it from Little Sam."
"There was over three hundred in that pot altogether," Gabe said, still puzzled.
"Sure was. Sweetest little pot ever, and did Scott burn when you took it away from him," Hedges said with glee.
"But even after you took your stake back and paid that cowboy the difference, there was over two hundred left."
"Yep, yep, and after I took out my fifty percent of the—"
"Fifty percent?"
"Figure that was too much, boy?"
"It wasn't enough. You just take that deed and give me the cash left. We'll call it square."
"I cain't do that. You're the one that won it. You got your full share coming. It won't take us long to get it for you from Little Sam, and you ain't got nothing else to do."
Gabe had to agree with that last part and slipped back into indifference. "No, guess not," he said with another shrug.
"You ever seen a geyser, boy?" Hedges asked, laying the deed and cash on the table in front of Gabe.
"No," Gabe said, looking at the money. With that little bit he could afford to hole up and rest up some, but not in Crossings. The town was in cattle country, with problems too close to what he'd left behind, the kind that had nearly got him killed. With the additional cash from the deed he could get himself set back up, decent clothes, boots, and a horse. With a horse he could go anywhere he wanted, as far as he wanted.
"Ever heard tell of them?"
Gabe had to pull himself back to the conversation, not that it made much sense to him. "They shoot water in the air."
"Sit all quiet-like, sometimes for days, then when you least expect it, they go off."
"The one I heard about, they can time," Gabe said, pocketing the money.
"Cain't with all of them, though," Hedges said, looking at him in a way that made Gabe uneasy. "I heard if you knew where that angry water was holing up, you could drain it off so it wouldn't explode like that."
"Why would you want to?" Gabe asked, puzzled again, thinking the old man was getting at something without coming right out with it.
"Explosions like that comes without
"No, well, reckon you got something important to get to, even if you ain't in no hurry to get there," he said, then turned away before Gabe could make any comment. Hedges added as he left the room, "Got you some breakfast on. It'll be done in the time it takes you to shave and finish dressing."
Gabe fought down the building rage, wondering if the old man had seen that anger coming up in him before he'd turned away. Though there was no sense to it, it was there just the same, quick as a flash, making his face feel hot and all the veins in his head throb with the blood that pounded in it.
The old man got under his skin. That's all it was. He'd sign that deed over then get away from him, even if he had to spend the rest of the time in the stuffy stage station to do it. Trouble was Hedges insisted he couldn't do it that way.
"Hell, boy, you'd have to sign it over to me, then I'd have to sign it over to Little Sam. Damned sight easier just doing it once. 'Sides, I ain't got that much cash. You'll have to get it straight from Little Sam."
"You ain't got that much?" Gabe asked in puzzlement. "You had more than enough in that pot last night."
"That was last night." Hedges put a plate heaped full of steak and eggs in front of Gabe. "Had me some bills to pay this morning, and with what I lost last night, I used the cash and left the deed for your share." He added quickly, "Just till you get it from Little Sam."
"There was over three hundred in that pot altogether," Gabe said, still puzzled.
"Sure was. Sweetest little pot ever, and did Scott burn when you took it away from him," Hedges said with glee.
"But even after you took your stake back and paid that cowboy the difference, there was over two hundred left."
"Yep, yep, and after I took out my fifty percent of the—"
"Fifty percent?"
"Figure that was too much, boy?"
"It wasn't enough. You just take that deed and give me the cash left. We'll call it square."
"I cain't do that. You're the one that won it. You got your full share coming. It won't take us long to get it for you from Little Sam, and you ain't got nothing else to do."
Gabe had to agree with that last part and slipped back into indifference. "No, guess not," he said with another shrug.
"You ever seen a geyser, boy?" Hedges asked, laying the deed and cash on the table in front of Gabe.
"No," Gabe said, looking at the money. With that little bit he could afford to hole up and rest up some, but not in Crossings. The town was in cattle country, with problems too close to what he'd left behind, the kind that had nearly got him killed. With the additional cash from the deed he could get himself set back up, decent clothes, boots, and a horse. With a horse he could go anywhere he wanted, as far as he wanted.
"Ever heard tell of them?"
Gabe had to pull himself back to the conversation, not that it made much sense to him. "They shoot water in the air."
"Sit all quiet-like, sometimes for days, then when you least expect it, they go off."
"The one I heard about, they can time," Gabe said, pocketing the money.
"Cain't with all of them, though," Hedges said, looking at him in a way that made Gabe uneasy. "I heard if you knew where that angry water was holing up, you could drain it off so it wouldn't explode like that."
"Why would you want to?" Gabe asked, puzzled again, thinking the old man was getting at something without coming right out with it.
"Explosions like that comes without
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